Meal prepping is one of the things that can make or break keeping to a diet. It can help keep you on track by taking the decision making process out by all of your food already being prepped and ready to go. There is nothing more convenient in the morning than waking up and not having to worry about your lunch for the day because all you have to do it grab and go.
Let me start off by saying that first you will need containers. You can buy cheap containers with sections in them at the grocery store in packs of 5 or 6. My wife buys smaller Tupperware containers every once in a while that fit perfect in my lunch box for work. I like ones with sections in them because they help with portion control but you have to pick something that works for you based on what kinds of foods you are planning on prepping and taking. Also consider what kind of containers will need for breakfast whether you will be grabbing it and going or if you are are going to eat at home before leaving.
First you have to consider breakfast…the most important meal of the day. Eating a nicely balanced breakfast can set the tone for the rest of the day and to be honest it is the easiest to meal prep for. It’s easy to make scrambled eggs or turkey bacon in bulk for the week and pack it up or have it ready to be reheated in the morning before you leave for work. Another fairly easy grab and go option is boiled eggs. Boil and peel 5 on Sunday and put them in a container to just grab one per day in the morning while you’re on your way out the door with an apple or banana. My favorite breakfast to have is overnight oats. I put 1/2 cup in a 4 oz mason jar and pour some almond milk in with whatever flavoring I want to add such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or honey and let it set overnight in the refrigerator. Its ready to just grab and throw in my lunch box in the morning with some fruit such as a banana, apple, or some berries.
Next is lunch which can be a little more time consuming to prep for so try to keep it simple with little to no variation at first until you build a routine and habit. I’m just going to use foods that I typically eat and meal prep with as an example. I keep it about as simple as possible and the foods I make can easily be made in bulk. 5 chicken tenderloins, 1 cup of rice (uncooked), and 2 bags of steamed veggies are all I need to get me through at least 5 days of lunches at work. This is a good simple option that doesn’t take a lot of time and you can make small changes to make different lunches like different spices on the chicken or a different steamed veggie pack for some days.
Now on the the one that used to be the biggest challenge for me which is dinner. Lets be honest, after a full day at work the last thing you want to do is come home and have to figure out what to cook so what do most people do? They stop on the way home or order delivery because they can’t figure out what to make. The key is to prep your meals as though they came in the mail from a company like Hello Fresh or Blue Apron. For those of you that don’t know these companies, they send your meals in bags in the mail. When you open each meal bag, it has all the ingredients needed to make that meal in the bag in the right portions of each ingredient or a little more. Prep your meals like this and if it helps buy a few small tubs to place all of your ingredients inside of in your refrigerator or pantry so you can just pull a tub out each night to make your dinner.
Journey with the Walkers 